# Ron Canada

Ronald Ellis Canada (born May 3, 1949) is an American actor and producer, with a specialty in portraying judges and detectives. He is best known for One on One (2001–2004), The Shield (2003–2004), and Lone Star (1996).

## Early life

Canada was born in New York City on May 3, 1949. Following completion of the Michele Clark broadcast journalism program at Columbia University, under the guidance of producer Fred Friendly, Canada commenced his career as a television news reporter in 1971 at WBAL-TV. In 1974, he began his three-year tenure at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. For his work in the nation's capital, Canada was nominated twice for Regional Emmy Awards, receiving the award in 1977. The following year he received an A.P. Award for Outstanding Reporting. While making the career transition he worked part-time as a broadcaster for Voice of America. He studied acting at The Folger Theatre Group under the tutelage of Franchelle Stewart Dorn. He moved from D.C. to New York in 1985.

## Career

Canada became the second actor to play the role of 'Troy Maxson' in August Wilson's Fences at The GeVa Theatre in Rochester, New York (January 1986).
Canada has had a long career in both television and film, known primarily for his work in Cinderella Man, Wedding Crashers, and his recurring role as Under Secretary of State Ted Barrow on The West Wing. In 1996, Canada received the Dallas Film Critics Award and significant national attention for his performance as "Otis Payne" in John Sayles's film Lone Star.
He played the role of Iago in a "photo negative" version of Shakespeare's Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. Other notable stage credits include his role as Emmet Tate in Zooman and the Sign at New York's Signature Theatre and originating the role of Duncan Troy in Headstrong at The Ensemble Studio Theatre, which earned him an Audelco Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Off Broadway - In Old Age - playing Azell Abernathy, at New York Theatre Workshop, N.Y.C
Broadway play - Network - with Bryan Cranston, Tony Goldwyn, and Tatiana Maslany. Mr. Canada portrayed UBS network chieftain Edward George Ruddy.

## Filmography
### Film

| Title | Year | Role | Note |
| 1983 | The Man Who Wasn't There | Barker | |
| 1983 | D.C. Cab | Police Officer #4 | |
| 1986 | Good to Go | Stooper | |
| 1987 | Adventures in Babysitting | Graydon | |
| 1987 | Heart | Talk Show Guest | |
| 1988 | Arthur 2: On the Rocks | Bartender | |
| 1990 | Downtown | Lowell Harris | |
| 1990 | The Last of the Finest | Cregan | |
| 1992 | Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | U.S. Marshal Preston Brooks | |
| 1992 | Play Nice | Coroner | |
| 1992 | Home Alone 2: Lost in New York | Cop in Times Square | |
| 1993 | Barbarians at the Gate | Vernon Jordan | |
| 1994 | Getting Even with Dad | Zinn | |
| 1994 | Without Warning | Terrence Freeman | |
| 1995 | Man of the House | Bob Younger | |
| 1995 | Above Suspicion | Captain Lindsay | |
| 1995 | The American President | Lloyd | |
| 1996 | Lone Star | Otis "Big O" Payne | |
| 1996 | Pinocchio's Revenge | Barry | |
| 1998 | Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD | Gabe Jones | TV movie |
| 1998 | Park Day | Mr. Joseph Johnson | |
| 1999 | In Too Deep | Dr. Bratton | |
| 2000 | Death of a Dog | Hassan | |
| 2001 | Thank Heaven | Joseph Johnson | |
| 2003 | The United States of Leland | Elden | |
| 2003 | The Hunted | FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Harry Van Zandt | |
| 2003 | The Human Stain | Herb Keble | |
| 2004 | National Treasure | Guard Woodruff | |
| 2005 | Cinderella Man | Joe Jeanette | |
| 2005 | Wedding Crashers | Randolph, the Clearys' Butler | |
| 2005 | Just Like Heaven | Dr. Walsh | |
| 2006 | Islander | T. Hardy | |
| 2006 | Paved with Good Intentions | Garrett Balden | |
| 2007 | Snowglobe | Antonio Moreno | |
| 2008 | Ocean of Pearls | Dr. Wiiliam Ballard | |
| 2008 | Noble Things | Moses | |
| 2008 | The Haunting of Molly Hartley | Mr. Bennett | |
| 2009 | Bob Funk | Smiley | |
| 2012 | Lake Effect | Winchester | |
| 2013 | Life Tracker | Uriel Patterson | |
| 2014 | Child of Grace | Doctor | |
| 2015 | Ted 2 | Judge Matheson | |
| 2015 | Gold Peak Tea: Take Me Home Contest | Voice | Video short |
| 2015 | After Words | Nelson | |
| 2017 | The Discovery | Cooper | |
| 2017 | Crown Heights | Judge Marcy | |
| 2018 | Bully | Mr. 'Action' Jackson | |
| 2020 | Frederick Douglass Boulevard aka Food & Drink Boulevard aka FDB | Karl | Short film |
| 2020 | The Empty Man | Detective Villiers | |
| 2021 | The Kinjiku | Gerome | Short film |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| 1989 | Dallas | Dave Wallace | |
| 1990 | Cheers | Agent Munson | |
| 1991 | Stat | Anderson "Mary" Roche | |
| 1992 | A Different World | Grover James | |
| 1992 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Martin Benbeck | Episode: "The Masterpiece Society" |
| 1992 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Officer Wilbur | |
| 1992 | L.A. Law | David Ellis | |
| 1993 | NYPD Blue | Zeke Odell | |
| 1994 | Murphy Brown | Sergeant Foley | Episode: "Crime Story" |
| 1994 | Babylon 5 | Capt. Ellis Pierce | Episode: "A Voice in the Wilderness, part 2" |
| 1995 | Living Single | Lanny Freedan | |
| 1995 | Family Matters | Dave McClure | Episode: "Walking My Baby Back Home" |
| 1996 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Ch'Pok | Episode: "Rules of Engagement" |
| 1996 | Murder One | Judge Orrin Bell | |
| 1996–1997 | Tracey Takes On... | Lawrence | |
| 1997 | Due South | Franco Devlin | Episode: "Mountie and Soul" |
| 1999 | Star Trek: Voyager | Fesek | Episode: "Juggernaut" |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Dr. Ethan Carter | |
| 2001–2004 | One on One | Richard Barnes (father of Flex) | |
| 2001 | The X-Files | Det. Franklin Potter | Episode: "Empedocles" |
| 2001-2002 | Philly | Judge Henry Griffin | |
| 2002 | Frasier | Judge Anderson | Episode: "The Ring Cycle" |
| 2003–2004 | The Shield | LAPD Chief of Police Tom Bankston | |
| 2003–2006 | The West Wing | Under Secretary of State Theodore Barrow | |
| 2003 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Gerry Barone | Episode: "Fight Night" |
| 2004–2005 | Jack & Bobby | Adult Marcus Ride | |
| 2006 | Weeds | Joseph | |
| 2006 | 7th Heaven | Dr. Sergey Barker | |
| 2006–2007 | Ugly Betty | Senator Slater | |
| 2006–2008 | Boston Legal | Judge Willard Reese | |
| 2007 | Stargate SG-1 | Quartus | |
| 2008 | Law & Order | Mr. Fuller | Episode: "Bottomless" |
| 2009 | The Mentalist | Philip Raimey | Episode: "Red Scare" |
| 2011 | Let's Stay Together | Garrison Lawrence | |
| 2011 | The Closer | Judge Gerald Blake | Episode: "Fresh Pursuit" |
| 2013 | The Office | Mr. Haskins | Episode: "The Farm" |
| 2013 | Blue Bloods | Deputy Director Tom Mason | |
| 2014 | Elementary | Mr Rose | Episode: "The Hound of the Cancer Cells" |
| 2014 | Grimm | Stan Kingston | |
| 2015 | The Strain | Mayor George Lyle | |
| 2015 | The Affair | Judge Polk | 2.4 |
| 2016 | Madam Secretary | Cameroonian Ambassador Jean Aissatou | Episode: "Desperate Remedies" |
| 2017 | Designated Survivor | Reverend Dale | |
| 2017 | The Good Fight | Andrew Hart | Episodes: "Not So Grand Jury" and "The Schtup List" |
| 2017–2019 | The Orville | Admiral Tucker | Episodes: "Sanctuary", "Majority Rule" and "Command Performance" |
| 2018 | Bull | Judge Miles Skurnick | Episode: "Survival Instincts" |
| 2018 | Seven Seconds | Pastor Adler | |
| 2018 | Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan | D.N.I. Bobby Vig | |
| 2018 | House of Cards | Vincent Abruzzo | Episode 67, 68 & 72 |
| 2022 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Coleman Green | Episode: "Tangled Strands of Justice" |
| 2022 | The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Wellington | Episodes: "Paradise", "The Wedding", and "The Invisible Man" |

### Commercials

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2016 | Gold Peak Tea: Home Brew Delivery | Voice |
| 2016 | Gold Peak Tea: Take Me Home | Voice |

### Radio

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2021 | Marvel's Wastelanders: Hawkeye | Abner Jenkins / Beetle |

### Video games

| Title | Year | Role | Note |
| 2004 | Ground Control II: Operation Exodus | Drahk'Mar Vicath | Voice |